GPS monitoring suspended by Chief Judge Belvin Perry

Chief Judge Belvin Perry on Tuesday suspended the GPS monitoring program used by judges in Orange County as a condition of bail or for those on pretrial release in criminal cases "until further notice."

The move came two days after police said Wilford Gregory, who was on GPS monitoring, shot a man in Apopka, then cut off his GPS device. He remained at large Tuesday night.

"In light of the reported events associated with the Wilfred Gregory case, a comprehensive review of these private vendors will be conducted immediately," 9th Judicial Circuit spokeswoman Karen Levey said in an email.

GPS monitoring is not the same as home confinement, the pretrial-release program that came under scrutiny after the Orlando Sentinel revealed Ocoee home-invasion and murder defendant Bessman Okafor had violated his curfew numerous times, none of which was reported to a judge.

During one of his unauthorized outings, police said, Okafor shot three people — two of whom were scheduled to testify against him at trial — and killed 19-year-old Alex Zaldivar.

Home confinement — commonly known as "house arrest" — includes a court-ordered Radio Frequency Monitor that defendants are compelled to wear, usually on the ankle, as a condition of bail. A radio frequency is sent to the ankle monitor and notifies home-confinement officers if the monitor does not respond. That can mean a person has left the home and violated the conditions of their bail.

GPS devices, usually strapped to an ankle, monitor defendants' movements at all times. In Gregory's case, he was on GPS after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and ordered to stay 1,000 feet from the victim in that case.

About half an hour after the 6:20 p.m. shooting, 33-year-old Gregory cut off the GPS monitor a judge ordered him to wear after his arrest March 9 on domestic-violence, burglary and petty-theft charges, Apopka police spokesman Officer Ed Chittenden said.

The company that provides the monitor, Court Programs of Central Florida, failed to alert police until 1 a.m. Monday, Chittenden said. Company managing member Marcel Aponte found the device in woods off Marden Road but didn't tell investigators, who were looking for it, until after 11 a.m. Monday, Chittenden said.

Some observers said they found it curious that judges are responding to problems within the monitoring programs by providing less monitoring.

"I don't think the solution is to get rid of GPS; it's to get rid of the vendor." Orlando defense attorney Richard Hornsby said. "When properly monitored, [the GPS program] provides a function to victims and defendants. What seems to be the problem is that these services aren't being monitored."

With the GPS and home-confinement programs both suspended, the only monitoring option for defendants granted bail before trial is "pretrial-release supervision," which Hornsby describes as "probation before you've been convicted."

Under that program, defendants are required to periodically check in with their bail bondsman or other official — but there is no way of knowing where defendants are at any given time. A judge decides, when placing someone on pretrial-release supervision, how often defendants must check in and whether they must do so in person or by phone.

Levey's statement Tuesday said that people on GPS while out of jail awaiting trial and being monitored by one of the approved vendors — Court Programs of Central Florida or Electronic Resource Associates (ERA) — will continue to be monitored by those private companies.

It's not clear how many defendants are on GPS monitoring in Orange County. Levey said the GPS companies, not the court, keep track of that. Court Programs could not be reached Tuesday, and Electronic Resources would not comment.

The changes, Levey said, will not affect those who are part of the court's "civil domestic violence GPS program."

"That program is not impacted by this," she said in an email.

Apopka police continue to search for Gregory, who they say shot 45-year-old Calvin Johnson near Alonzo Williams Park on Sunday evening. Police say Johnson is in critical but stable condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center and is expected to live.

Under his GPS monitoring terms, Gregory had an 8 p.m. curfew and therefore was likely not violating his restrictions simply by being at the park. However, a judge required him not to possess weapons.